Maya Angelou shows Big Bird and some kids a ring game she knows, called "Little Sally Walker." -snip- The ring game begins around 1:26 in this Sesame Street television series video. Here are the lyrics to that version of "Little Sally Walker (Sitting In A Saucer).
"Little Sally Walker Sittin in the saucer Rise, Sally, rise Wipe your weeping eyes Put your hands on your hips And let your backbone slip Shake it to the east Shake it to the west Shake it to the one that you love the best."
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases three video examples of the circle singing game (ring game) "Little Sally Walker (Sitting In A Saucer)". The lyrics to these versions of that singing game are presented after each video.
Addendum #1 of this pancocojams post showcases a sound file of an African American woman singing "Little Sally Walker" between 1934 and 1942.
Addendum #2 of this pancocojams post The content of this post is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/05/how-let-your-backbone-slip-is-performed.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "What The Word "Backbone" Means & How "Let Your Backbone Slip" Is Performed In The "Little Sally Walker" (Sitting In A Saucer) Singing Game."
**** SHOWCASE VIDEOS & THE LYRICS FOR THESE EXAMPLES Except for Example #1, these examples are given in chronological order based on their publishing date.
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
These numbers don't reflect how old this traditional children's game is. "Little Sally Walker" is an adaptation of the nursery rhyme and game entitled "Little Sally Water". That rhyme and game are believed to have originated in the 1800s in England and have been in the U.S. since at least 1848. (AI Overview).
Notice that all the videos of "Little Sally Walker (Sittin In A Saucer" show people circling counter-clockwise around the person in the center of the circle.
Showcase Video #1 This example is given at the top of this post.
**** Showcase Video #2- Little Sally Walker
Vincent Bates, Apr 19, 2011
Little Sally Walker, sittin' in a saucer,
cryin' and a-weepin' over all she's done.
Rise, Sally, rise.
Wipe the tears from your eyes.
Put your hands on you hips.
Let you back-bone slip.
Shake it to the East.
Shake it to the West.
Shake it to the very one that you love the best.
**** Showcase Video #3 - Little Sally Walker Bessie Jones
ichagall, Apr 20, 2010 -snip- Here's the words to this version of "Little Sally Walker":
"Little Sally Walker
Sitting in a saucer
A weepin and a cryin over all she has done.
Rise Sally rise*
Wipe your weepin eyes*
Turn to the east
And turn to the west
Turn to the very one that you love the best.
And put your hands on your hips
And let your backbone slip
Oh, shake it to the east, Sally
Shake it to the west, Sally.
Shake it to the very one that you love the best." -snip- An alternate version: "Rise up from your seat/Wipe your cheeks". -snip- Notice that in this video, the man who was chosen as center person is also known as the female character "Little Sally Walker".
**** ADDENDUM #1 - Little Sally Walker
Eva Grace Boone, Oct 3, 2014
Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises
Field Recordings Vol. 4: Mississippi & Alabama (1934-1942)
℗ 1997 Document Records
Released on: 2005-09-13
Auto-generated by YouTube. -snip- Here's the lyrics to this version of "Little Sally Walker":
"Little Sally Walker
Sittin in a saucer
Riiiiiiise, little Sally, rise
Oh, cry Sally, cry
Oh, wipe your cheeks
Oh, shake it to the east.
Oh, shake it to the west.
Oh, shake it to the very one
You love the best."
**** ADDENDUM #2- Little Sally Walker Walking Down The Street"
AnnaGraceBananaFace, Feb 25, 2009
Playing little sally walker in the munchkin room at the show
in Irving on the 23rd!! -snip- Here's the words to the version of that singing game that is shown in this video .
Little Sally Walker walkin down the street [clap clap] She didn't know what to do so she stepped in front of me Hey girl, [or "Hey, boy] do your thing Do your thing and switch. Hey girl [or "Hey boy"] do your thing. Do your thing and switch. -snip- On the words "Stepped in front of me", the person in the center of the circle randomly stands in front of someone forming the circle. The words "Do your thing" is a command for the center person to perform some dance motion of gymnastic motion such as doing jumping jacks. At the same time, the person who the center person stands in front of (and the other people forming the circle) also perform the same movements.
The word "switch" means that the center person and the person she or he is standing in front of trade places. -snip- The earliest examples of "Little Sally Walker Walking Down The Street" that I've found online are from the early 2000s. However, I directly observed an example of that singing game in 1999 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Little Sally Walker Bessie Jones -snip- Here's the words to this version of "Little Sally Walker": Little Sally Walker Sitting in a saucer A weepin and a cryin over all she has done. Rise Sally rise* Wipe your weepin eyes* Turn to the east And turn to the west Turn to the very one that you love the best. And put your hands on your hips And let your backbone slip Oh, shake it to the east, Sally Shake it to the west, Sally. Shake it to the very one that you love the best. -snip- An alternate version: "Rise up from your seat/Wipe your cheeks". -snip- Notice that in this video, the man who was chosen as center person is also known as the female character "Little Sally Walker".
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Update- May 16 2025
This pancocojams post presents information about the meaning of the words "let your backbone slip" in the singing game "Little Sally Walker".
This post also showcases two YouTube video that show two different ways that the "let your backbone slip" movement is performed in the "Little Sally Walker" (sittin in a saucer) singing game.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the unknown composers of versions of "Little Sally Walker" that include the "put your hands on your hips and let your backbone slip" words. Thanks also to all those who were associated with the YouTube videos that are showcased in this pancocojams post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/05/african-american-versions-of-little.html for the 2025 pancocojams post entitled "African American Versions Of "Little Sally Walker" (with city/state and/or decades played) from a 2025 Facebook page."
Click the "Little Sally Walker" tag below for other pancocojams posts about this singing game.
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - "Little Sally Walker" | In Rehearsal for "Black Pearl Sings!"
MilwRep, Jan 4, 2018
In this excerpt from rehearsals for "Black Pearl
Sings!," Peal (Lynette DuPree) teaches Susannah (Colleen Madden) how to
properly dance to the folk song, "Little Sally Walker." Performances
begin January 19th [2018 in Washington, D.C.] -snip- Click.https://dctheatrescene.com/2016/04/27/black-pearl-sings-metrostage-review/
Black Pearl Sings! at MetroStage (review)
April 27, 2016 by Debbie Minter Jackson " "Black Pearl Sings! is a powerful, entertaining story of two
women from vastly different walks who have life-changing interactions that
revolve around snippets of historical music."...
**** WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE WORDs "LET YOUR BACKBONE SLIP" IN THE SINGING GAME "LITTLE SALLY WALKER"? AI Overview [May 12, 2025] " "Let your backbone slip" is an expression,
primarily used in hip-hop and dance, that refers to a movement where the body,
especially the upper body, is loosened and relaxed, allowing the spine to bend
and sway with the music. It can also be a metaphor for expressing oneself
authentically and without rigid control."... -snip- I believe that in the context of the singing game "Little Sally Walker, the words "let your backbone slip" don't refer to an actual dance move but are both the literal meaning and the metaphorical meaning that are given above."
**** DESCRIPTIONS OF SHOWCASE VIDEO #1 AND SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 Showcase Video #1 All of the players in this game sing the commands to this game song, except for the person in the center of the circle. The center person follows the commands that others are singing, but remains silent throughout the entire time that he or she is in the center of the circle. The center person performs the motions at the same time as the other people who are playing this game.
The "let your backbone slip" motion immediately follow performing the motion to "put your hands on your hips". All of the players perform those motions at the same time.
"Let your backbone slip" means to rhythmically swing your hips side to side to the beat. This is the same motion that is done for the words "Shake it to the east and shake it to the west". -snip- This is the way that I've always performed "let your backbone slip" and the way that I've always seen in performed online and offline, with the exception of Showcase video #2 in this pancocojams post.
**** Showcase Video #2 All of the players in this game sing the commands to this game song, except for the person in the center of the circle. The center person follows the commands that others are singing, but remains silent throughout the entire time that he or she is in the center of the circle. The center person performs the motions at the same time as the other people who are playing this game
After the players put their hands on their hips, they lean slightly forward and quickly shake their back. While the players (except for the center person) sing "Shake it to east and shake it to the west", the players swing (shake) their hips from the left to the right."
**** UPDATE- May 13, 2025 I had forgotten that I published two pancocojams posts IN 2012 on "Let your backbone slip". Here are the links to those posts: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/08/let-your-right-foot-slip-origin.html "Let Your Right Foot Slip" And "Let Your Backbone Slip" Verses In Caribbean & African American Singing Games & R&B Songs
Here are some excerpts from Part I of that two part pancocojams series.
..."In the context of the verse "let your backbone slip", the word "backbone" means "the spine". I believe that the verb "slip" means "move loosely" or "be flexible". The line "let your backbone slip" is thus interpreted to mean "shake your hips from side to side".
[...]
"Put your hands on your hip/and let your backbone slip" is a floating verse that is found in the widely known children's game song "Little Sally Walker" ("Little Sally Waters"). That verse is also sometimes sung as a verse in the less widely known children's song "All Around The Kitchen Cock A Doodle Doodle Do". I don't know which version of the second line ["let your backbone slip" or "let your right foot slip"] is the oldest."
[...] The song "Little Sally Waters" is included in the 1997 book Brown Girl In The Ring: An Anthology Of Songs Games From The Eastern Caribbean by Alan Lomax, J. D. Elder, and Bess Lomax Hawes. The title "Little Sally Waters" is an older form of the title "Little Sally Walker". In the above named book, that singing game includes the verse "put your hands on your hips, let your backbone shake". Part of the play instructions for that song which is given in that book indicate that the girl in the center of the ring selects a partner and "The two then put their hands on their hips and "shake their backbones" in the familiar Caribbean "winding" motion."
[...]
The "let your backbone slip" verse is also included in the mid 1960s African American Rhythm & Blues songs "Monkey Time (Major Lance -1963), "Baby Workout" (Jackie Wilson -1965), "Shake" (Sam Cooke & Otis Redding, 1966), and "Land Of 1000 Dances" (Wilson Pickett, 1966). Excerpts & videos of these songs are found in Part II of this series."...
Playing little sally walker in the munchkin room at the show
in Irving on the 23rd!! -snip- This example of "Little Sally Walker Walkin Down The Street" doesn't come from the Facebook page that is the focus of this 2025 pancocojams post.
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents some examples of the singing game "Little Sally Walker" from a 2025 discussion thread of the Facebook page of Vintage
& Iconic African American Everything.
This compilation also includes some examples of "Little Sally Walker Walking Down The Street" and a few other recreational singing games and rhymes.
That discussion was sparked by a brief black & white (no color) 1975 film clip of Black American girls and boys performing the singing game "Little Sally Walker" (sitting in a saucer).
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Vintage & Iconic African American Everything" Facebook account for embedding a 1975 film clip of Black children playing a version of the singing game "Little Sally Walker" and thanks to that Facebook account for starting a discussion thread about that singing game and other recreational games and rhymes. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/02/a-few-examples-of-little-sally-walker.html?m=1 for the closely related 2022 pancocojams post entitled "Some Examples Of "Little Sally Walker" Singing Games That African Americans Remember (with geographic location & decade remembered or collected)."
The comments that are given in that 2022 pancocojams post aren't included in this 2025 post. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/05/how-let-your-backbone-slip-is-performed.html for the pancocojams post entitled What "Backbone" Mens &"How "Let Your Backbone Slip" Is Performed In The "Little Sally Walker" (Sitting In A Saucer) Singing Game".
Click
the "Little Sally Walker" tag below for other pancocojams posts about
this singing game
**** 1975 FILM CLIP OF BLACK AMERICAN CHILDREN PLAYING A VERSION OF THE "LITTLE SALLY WALKER" SINGING GAME This film clip that has the title "Children
playing Little Sally Walker (1975) #1970s " is embedded on https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3653896478089568 "Vintage & Iconic African American
Everything" Facebook account, January 29, 2025.
This clip is a part of a longer documentary that is filmed in black & white (not color]. Unfortunately, I can't find this clip or that documentary on YouTube. If you have any information about the titles of these YouTube videos, please share them in the comment section of this pancocojams post. Thanks, in advance.
shows Black American children (girls and boys) playing this
ring game together, different ages (from pre-school to early middle school ages?
From the girls and pre-school to elementary school ages for the boys) I can’t find this video on YouTube. It’s part
of a longer documentary since it cuts off when an older Black woman is sitting
in a chair talking.
Film show a group of Black American boys and girls playing
this game standing out doors holding hands and moving counterclockwise around
one person standing in the middle of the circle [That person represents Little
Sally Walker.
Note: The words "Little Sally Walker" are also used if a boy is the center regardless of the fact that "Sally" is a female name only.
Here are the words to that singing game:
"Little Sally Walker sittin in a saucer Weepin and a cryin for a cool drink of water Rise Sally Rise Wipe between your eyes Put your hand on your hip And let your backbone slip We’re gonna shake it to the East We’re gonna shake it to the West We’re gonna shake it to the one that you love the best Mama said so Papa said so… -snip- An older Black woman in that film is heard sharing her memories of the words to this singing game, although she doesn't say the last part of that game.
Commenter #31 [quoted below] wrote that the last line of that version of "Little Sally Walker" that she remembers is "That's what you do if you wanna get a beau" [The word "beau" means "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" rhymes with the word "so"].
**** SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS FACEBOOK PAGE There are a total of 1,598 comments in reply to that first comment about the film of Black girls and boys performing "Little Sally Walker" that is embedded on that Facebook page. (Unfortunately, I can't embed that film in this pancocojams post.)
Given the name of that Facebook page and some of its comments that specifically referred to race and nationality, it's likely that all of the commenters who responded to that first comment are African American.
I tried to retrieve all of the comments that include the words to this singing game that the commenters remembered and/or comments that include demographic information (location, decade remembered playing this singing game). Unfortunately, at some point, I was unable to see the comments since I wasn't signed in to any Facebook account (I gave up my Facebook account decades ago). However, this compilation doesn't include all of the comments that I was able to read. For instance, I didn't include comments that said something like "I agree" or "I remember this from my childhood" that were given without any lyrics to any singing game or that were given without any demographic information.
This compilation also includes some comments about a few other recreational rhymes, singing games, and other play activities that those commenters remembered.
Numbers are added to these comments for referencing purposes.
Some of these comments refer to the 1975 film that was embedded in that Facebook page that showed children playing a version of "Little Sally Walker" (sittin in a saucer.)
1. Melvenia V Pressley "Wow! Thanks for sharing this brings back so many memories we
played out doors. We played red light green light 123, hopscotch, jumped rope,
hide and seek and so much more . We got our exercise."
** 2. Kimberlee Brown "Wow! All of them are at least 60 years of age now, some of
them are older than 60. My brother was born in 1962 and he's 62 or 63."
** 3. Jean Nanna Mayer "I remember playing this but only with girls. The boys
wouldn't play because of the name"Sally".....LOL."
** Reply 4. Val Sawyer "Jean Nanna Mayer some boys would play with us, because when
they got to the part” shake it to the east,shake it to the west, shake it to
the very one you loved the best, that was their time to shake it in front of
the girl they had a cruse on!🥰"
** Reply 5. Veronica Johnson "Jean Nanna Mayer ...I never recall boys
playing it."
** 6. Wallace Collins "Old man this takes me back I remember
kids used to play this outside at school doing recess"
** Reply 7. Dee Madden "Wallace Collins oh my, we use jump rope
at recess to, or at lunch, cause we went out of school for lunch"
** 8. PeaceLove Atman "I've never heard of little Sally
walker...it was ring around the rosie for my era....Sally walker sounds so much
better and was way more positive.
** Reply 9. Nora Keithley "PeaceLove Atman
Either have I. I am 73 and it was Ring
around the Rosie.
It looks like fun."
** Reply 10. PeaceLove Atman "Nora Keithley WOW, i wonder if the words
were different within each state"
** Reply 11. Tavika Kersey "PeaceLove Atman ring around the rosie
pocket full of posies ashes ashes we all fall down, something like that 😝"
** 12. Doris Neal-Alexander "We played this as kids in the Chgo.
Henry Horner Projects.. we said "Lil Sally Walker was walkin down th
street, she didn know wat t do so she stopped in front of me. We said gone girl
shake that thang, shake that thang, shake that thang, gone girl shake that
thang, shake that thang and Stop! I can see my friends faces and that was over
50 years ago! 🥹 Thank you for the memories!!! 💋💋💋"
** 13. Gloria Anderson "This is what we sang in the Fifties!
Little Sally Walker
Sitting in a Saucer
Weeping and a Crying for
some young man!
Oh ! Rise Sally Rise
And wipe your weeping eyes
Now rise to the East
Now rise to the West
Now rise to the very one that you love
the best
Shake it to the East
Shake it to the West
Shake it to the very one that you love
the best!
Now put your hands on your hips and let
your backbone slip !"
** 14. Shikim Collins "Our generation was little sally walker
walking down the street. She don’t know where she’s going but she’s always
follow me. I said now gone girl shake that thang , shake that thang stop and
repeat gone girl shake that thang shake that thang 🛑"
** Reply 15. Lashawnda Monique Boykin "Shikim Collins I been looking for this
comment because that’s the version I knew 80’s Midwest."
** 16. Catherine Davis "We sang ..lil Sally waker sitting in a
saucer she weeping she wipping all her tears away rise sally walker wipe your
tears away put your hands on your hip and let your backbone slip.. you skake it
to the east ..and you skake it to the west ..you shake it to the one that you
love the best..."
** Reply 17. Carilyn Young "Yes I remember that song when I was
elementary school in the south."
** 18. Panessa Bankston "I remember growing up my friends and I
would play this☺️, I don't remember the boys playing,I noticed someone saying
it was innocent times then, so true, now it's just crazy, kids will never
understand how much fun we had growing up, anyhoot God
bless all and remember, keep reminding them it was once safe for kids to play
outside , but things have changed, people have changed, and it's only getting
worse,STAY SAFE AND BE BLESSED 🙏"
** 19. Lori Guilbeau "It sounds completely different. We
didn't sing all the words!!!! What a strange but funny feeling I have, hearing
and seeing kids playing together. Just having innocent fun."
** 20. Janice Swearinger "I remember this but the words were a
little different at the end of the song, but it still brings back good memories
as a kid 👍♥️"
** 21. PJ Edwards "In Houston Texas in the 1970s, we
said...
Little Sally Walker sitting in a saucer
rise Sally rise wipe your weeping eyes put your hand on your hips and make your
backbone slip oh shake it to the East oh shake it to the West oh shake it to
the very one you love the best turn to the east turn to the West turn to the
very one you love the best."
** Reply 22. Tracey Tball Williams "PJ Edwards , 'and if you got a boyfriend
I’ll tell you what to do, take some salt and pepper and shake it on your shoe
now gone girl shake that thing shake that thing stop turn to the east turn to
the west turn to the boy that you love the best'. I’m 62 years, and that song
just came out my mouth so naturally"
** Reply 23. Lisa Fisher "Tracey Tball Williams I forgot about
that version!"
** Reply 24. Marilynn Pointer "PJ Edwards exactly the way we did it in
Memphis!!! Back then was the best days!! ❤️"
** Reply 25. Ambree Blake "PJ Edwards yes we did sing it exactly
like that in Houston. My Lord! Great memories!"
** Reply 26. Mattie Jones "PJ Edwards, same in Arlington,
Tennessee. But my times was in the 50's"
** Reply 27. Renita Abraham "PJ Edwards we did too but we did say the
last line like the video....mama said so papa said so that's the way you do it
when you want to catch a boo 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"
** Reply 28. Candice Carter Allen "PJ Edwards this is how we did it in the
L.A. area too"
** Reply 29. Ella Guillory Washington "PJ Edwards the words were same in Lake
Charles LA as in Houston. Back in da day… 60’s for me. I was teenager in the
early 70’s, didn’t sing it much then."
** Reply 30. Tamela Holley "PJ Edwards same in Mississippi I teach
red light green light stop n bubble gum bubble gum in the ditch still today to
my grands n they lovvveee the simple games"
** Reply 31. Callie Marshall "PJ Edwards moma said so, papa said so,
that's the way you do it when you wanna catch a beau! 😊"
** Reply 32. Kimberly Alford Sitton "PJ Edwards yes indeed , we did Houston ,
Proud"
** Reply 33. Cheryl L Whittington Lockley "PJ Edwards we did it in San Diego
California...oh yes!!!!"
** Reply 34. Denise Huntjones "PJ Edwards I remember your same version
of this growing up in my part of NC."
** Reply 35. Lucille Shields "PJ Edwards yes that's the way we sang it
in Alabama to."
** Reply 36. Michelle Waller "PJ Edwards we sang it the way you
mentioned in California also."
** Reply 37. Jennifer Marie Jones "PJ Edwards same - born and raised in
Lake Charles, Louisiana."
** Reply 38. Cynthia Giddens Hunter "PJ Edwards I was born in 1953 and I
played these same games growing up."
** Reply 39. Shebrew Shebrew "PJ Edwardsthat’s what we said in the
80’s in Oklahoma."
** Reply 40. Zaneta Tolbert-Dean "PJ Edwards that is what we song in
Chicago as well"
** Reply 41. Anna Longmeyer "PJ Edwards that's the way we did it in
Santana California"
** Reply 42. Lisa Neal "PJ Edwards my grandma taught me from
Missouri."
** Reply 43. Rita Whitsett Franklin "PJ Edwards We sung it like you did in
the 60’s in Mobile, Alabama."
** Reply 44. Tracy Savoy "PJ Edwards im from Houston and we said
this one too!!! Remember Hollywood Swing It?"
** Reply 45. Gwendolyn Ann Lollis-Smith "PJ Edwards In New Orleans we said that
same thing 😅😅😅😅"
** Reply 46. Cindy Chretien "Omg was we singing this song wrong lol
we always sang Lil Sally Saucer sitting in the water cry Sally cry wipe off
your eyes ?? We sang the I was going to Kentucky I was going to a fair I met a
senorita with diamonds in here hair shake it shake it shake it shake it if u
can shake it like a milk shake and shake it once again turn to east turn to the
west turn to the one u like the best! And Ms Mary Mac Mac Mac all dressed in
black black black with silver buttons buttons buttons all down her back back
back with ask our mother for 50 cents to see the elephant elephant elephant
jump over the fence fence fence"
** Reply 47. Kimberly Alford Sitton "I was born in 65 , grew up in these
years with games etc. as girls we wore cool locks , like the lil girl in red ,
now called different , and shorts under your dress, but when returning home
from school , you were to put on play clothes , meaning you didn’t play any
games , in your school attire , and as a lil girl ,, you better act like a lil
young lady , around boys at school , or in the neighborhood , they kept their
eyes 👀 on us"
** Reply 48. Nora Keithley "PeaceLove Atman
Interesting question. Was this only in
the black communities? I grew up as a military child and most of my school
years, was overseas."
** 49. April Love "I’m from Cali,
We use to sing:
down down baby …down down… a roller coaster… sweet sweet
baby sweet sweet. ..Don’t let me go…shimmy Shimmy Coco pop shimmy,
shimmy…rise…Shimmy Shimmy Coco pop… I had a boyfriend ….a biscuit …he so sweet…
a biscuit …like a cherry tree… a biscuit…ice cream, soda pop cherry on top
…aweee BB awww Baby, I said it… I meant it… I’m cool ..smooth ?something…..
don’t remember the rest😆😆"
** Reply 50. Alieda Viruet "April Love I'm from Chicago
We used to don't a variation of this song like this:
Man and lady sittin' on a bench, trynna make a dollar out of
fifteen cent...
You missed, you missed, you missed like this
🤣😂😂Little
less innocent than your lyrics... though we didn't realize it as kids."
** Reply 51. Sherrea Jones "April Love We did also in Dallas Texas I'm sure I'm lot
older cause we sang and played these games in the 59s and 60s things started
changing more in late 70s"
** Reply 52. Michelle Waller "April Love This is another one we also sang. We used to sing
another version of little Sally Walker and another too."
** Reply 53. Cassandra Thomas "April Love must be a 70s or 80s baby because my children
sang that. 😅😅"
** Reply 54. Wendy Miller "April Love yup. I remember those playground rhymes. I lived
in Watts/Compton at the time."
** Reply 55. Barbara Miller "Lucille Shields you are ABSOLUTELY right. 1950’s. My
classmates and I played this game and many others in Mobile, Alabama. Sweet
Memories."
** Reply 56. Marjie Edwards "Lucille Shieds you are right. The 50s. Not the 70s."
** Reply 57. Rosalyn Sinkfield "Lucille Shields such good memories, when children were
children 😃💗"
** Reply 58. Anita Cloutier Bridge "Lucille Shields I agree. Kids played this way before the
70’s."
** Reply 59. Tommie Jean Thomas "Lucille Shields ABSOLUTELY! I'm 82 and we did "Little
Sally Walker" when I was 5.🙏❤️🎶💃🌹💋"
** Reply 60. Bunnie Gaines-Tabb "Lucille Shields these games were pre civil war! They are
African traditions which combine percussions, dance, calls and responses. They
had no toys..."
** Reply 61. Veronica Johnson "Lucille Shields .truth!"
** Reply 62. Keith Duncan "My Nana says she Remembers this
this is Priceless"
** 63. TenishiaNene Smith "Wow!! We enjoyed playing games like this even in the 90's.
But Man, looking at how short some of these little dresses
were. Somebody lied to us talking about when we were coming up you wouldn't see
girls with these little dresses yall wear now. Honey they couldn't even bend or
fall without everything showing lol" -snip- This comment refers to the 1975 film of children playing this singing game (ring game) that was embedded on that Facebook page.
** Reply 64. Benita P. Traphan "Takes me back to my childhood when I played with children in
my neighborhood. Those were the clothes we wore. Short little dresses were so
cute. What innocence! Today’s children don’t have the innocent fun we had fifty
years ago."
** 65. Nikki Berry " 'Little Sally Walker walking down the street...She didn't
know what to do so she stopped in front of me. She said, "Hey girl, shake
that thang, shake that thang, don't stop.' Repeat and everytime she stops.
The person she stops in front of does a dance and they switch places."
** Reply 66. Kawana MsKay Renee "Nikki Berry we use to say jumped in front of me.. and said
gone girl shake that thang stop.."
** Reply 67. Unique Buckley "Kawana MsKay Renee we said gone girl do yo thang do yo thang
in the 90s"
** Reply 68. Lisa Marie "Kawana MsKay Renee I’m from Detroit. That’s how we sang it!❤️"
** Reply 69. Ray Ray "Nikki Berry this is the one we sang in school in mid 2000's ❣️"
** Reply 70. Taneisha McIntosh "Nikki Berry yesssss I was looking for
this version, we were poppin it at the playground in 1998 lol"
** Reply 71. Kendra Thompson "Nikki Berry now this is the Sally Walker
I remember lol"
** Reply 72. Era Smith-Perry "Nikki Berry 💯except we said gone
girl shake that thang🤣"
** Reply 73. Terri Allen "Nikki Berry I guess we all had different
words.."
** Reply 74. Georgia Williams "Terri Allen I know right. I remember
something like. Little Sally Walker sitting in a saucer? Rise Sally rise and
wipe your weeping eyes etc..."
** Reply 75. Daniele Green "Nikki Berry my mama used to sing the one
they’re singing*. We used to sing the one you just wrote. Maybe it’s different
for every generation. I was born in 1988." -snip- This comment refers to the film that is embedded on that Facebook page. ** Reply 76. Artimease Jackson "Nikki Berry shake that thing Stop 🥰🤣"
** Reply 77. Treneice Okpaku "Nikki Berry this the one!!! 90s in
Kansas"
** Reply 78. Linnie Butler "Nikki Berry Right. Thats the later
version my nieces used to say. Except they would say "gon girl shake that
thang." I guess lil Sally grew up. 😄😄😄😄🥰"
** 79. Carliss Deniece "Coming up in the 70’s in Mississippi I remember
Lil Sally walker
Ring around the Rosie
Miss Mary Mac
I don’t wanna go to Mexico no more
It was one song when two people were facing each other and
you sing a song and using your hands to the song…I done forgot so many years
ago. Times were tough but we were happy."
** Reply 80. Kathy Newby "Carliss Deniece hello Queen I remember those also i lived in
a different state but we played the same games must be a cultural experience"
** Reply 81. Catherine Davis "Carliss Deniece Mrs Mary Mac mac mac all dress in black
black black with 24 buttons buttons buttons right down her back back back...lol"
** Reply 82. Jackie Smith "Carliss DenieceTake me out to the ballgame was one"
** Reply 83. Drama Mo "Carliss Deniece tweet-tweet-tweetalie"
** Reply 84. Erin Traynum Cameron "Carliss Deniece we did the Mexico one too in Ohio where I’m
from
I don’t wanna go to Mexico no more more more
There’s a big fat policeman at the door door door
If you grab him by the collar you SHOLE to make him holler
I don’t wanna go to Mexico no more more more
🥰🥰"
** Reply 85. Carliss Deniece "Erin Traynum Cameron That’s it 😂
we say catch him by the collar and make him pay a dollar 😂😂"
** Reply 86. Alieda Viruet "Erin Traynum Cameron in Chicago we said,
he grabbed me the collar, he made me pay a dollar🤣🤣😂"
** 87. Lucille Shields "1970's heck these ring games were back
in the 50's when I was a child at my elementary school, good memories."
This pancocojams post showcases a children's circle game from Ghana, West Africa that has similar movements as the African American originated circle games "Ride That Pony" and "Little Sally Walker Was Walking Down The Street."
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube and thanks for all those who are featured in these videos.
**** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES I don't know the title of the children's game performed in Ghana, West Africa which is documented in the first embedded video in this post. However, its performance activities are s very similar to the updated version of "Little Sally Walker" that is called "Little Sally Walker (was walking down the street". I wonder who taught those children that game. Did someone from the United States teach it to Ghanaian children or is it traditionally Ghanaian?
"Little Sally Walker (was walking down the street" and another contemporary children's game ""Ride My Pony" are all examples of a sub-category of "show me your motions" circle games. In each of those games, the group forms a circle and someone is selected to be the middle person. At some point in the game, the middle person randomly stands in front of someone forming the circle and does some motion. The person who is "picked" does the same motion, and the two exchange places. Then the game immediately begins with the new middle person. I refer to this sub-section of show me your motion circle (ring) games as "switching places" circle games.
My guess is that both "Little Sally Walker (was walking down the street)" and "Ride My Pony" originated with African Americans in the 1990s or later. If you know these games, please share the lyrics you know in the comment section below. For the folkloric record, please remember to include demographic information (when-year or decade, and where-city/state in the USA, or country if outside of the USA), and whether this game was played by girls and boys or mostly played by girls etc. Thank you.
Click https://cocojams2.blogspot.com/2014/11/switching-places-ring-games-part-1.html for Part I of a two part cocojams2* series about African American versions of these games. The title for that post is "Switching Places Ring Games (Part 1-Description & Other Comments)." The link to Part II is found in that first post.
* Cocojams2 is the name of my Google blog that focuses on children's rhymes, cheers, and singing games. Some of the content of that blog was retrieved from my no longer active cocojams.com cultural website.
I've also come across Caribbean examples of this type of show me your motion circle games. One example is "I Went Up On The Hill". That singing game is the first game that is featured in Ian Strachan's 2006 documentary film Show Me Your Motion: The Ringplay Games of The Bahamas.
WARNING: In this video, the "Rock My Cherry" singing game is performed with tweaking and other sexualized motions. **** Update; April 1, 2021 Another Caribbean example of this sub-category of show me your motion circle game is the video of Haitian children's circle games that is given as #2 in this pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/04/two-haitian-childrens-circle-games.html . In response to my question, Lesly, one of the participants in that game, shared the words to that singing game. The words begin with the phrase "Ya so". I used those words for the title of that singing game along with these words "The foot dance". Lesly wrote " ...(As we sing this part, the [person in] the inner circle will hit His left foot from the right foot of the others three times,right to the left foot in others three times. Subsequently quitting inside the circle for the people he selected."....
Playing little sally walker in the munchkin room at the show in Irving on the 23rd!! -snip- This singing game is often referred to as "Little Sally Walker Was Walking Down The Street" to differentiate it from the "Little Sally Walker (sitting in a saucer" or the "Little Sally Ann sittin in the sand" circle games.
Here's the words to that singing game:
Little Sally Walker was walking down the street
[clap, clap]
She didn't know what to do so she stood in front of me.
I said "Oh girl, do your thing, do your thing. Stop! * "Oh girl, do your thing, do your thing Stop! -snip- The person who the middle person stands in front of watches her do a dance or some other movement.
Then that person (and the rest of the group) imitates that dance or that movement. The person who the middle person stands in front of then exchanges places with the middle person and the game immediately begins again from the beginning.
*The word "switch" is sometimes used instead of "stop".
To start the game, one person stands in middle of the circle and everyone starts to clap in a rhythm. The person in the middle begins the game by galloping around the circle while the group sings the following song:
Here we go, ride that pony, ride around that big fat pony, this is how we do it. (move in a galloping motion, swinging hand over head)
The middle person then stops in front of someone else and both partners perform the following lines and actions.
Stand facing each other and swing arms in a circle in front of your body, keeping elbows in: "Front to front to front, my baby"
Jump so both are standing next to each other with the same arm motions as before: "Side to side to side, my baby"
Jump one last time so both are facing with backs to each other with the same arm motions are before: "Back to back to back, my baby, this is how we do it.
The person in the middle then switches places with the person they were just dancing with and the game continues until everyone has had a turn in the middle.
buttercup7956, March 19, 2011 -snip- My transcription of this rhyme is given below.
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Revision- September 27, 2022
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on Jazz scatting and the inclusion of the Jazz scatting phrase "scooby doo" in some versions the "Miss Sue From Alabama" children's rhyme.
Part II presents some information about the children's recreational rhyme "Miss Sue From Alabama" (or similar titles).
Part II also presents an example from that rhyme family that includes the scat phrase "scooby-do-wah" and some examples of that rhyme that include the phrase or cartoon dog's name "Scooby Doo".
The Addendum to that post also presents information about scatting.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all the unknown composers of these rhymes and thanks to John and Alan Lomax for collecting and publishing some early examples of these rhymes. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
**** EARLIEST RECORDED DATES FOR "MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA" 1934 -- cited by Google result: Miss Sue From Alabama- Kodaly Center For Music Education that online site which is no longer available]
Collected by John and Alan Lomax, 1934. Informant/Performer Eight girls, Kirby Industrial School, Atmore, AL,1934. State:Alabama
Miss Sue Miss Sue Did you ever see a monkey make a motion
Miss Sue Miss Sue Did you ever see a monkey make a motion Miss Sue from Alabama"
****
THE EARLIEST EXAMPLE OF THE WORDS "SCOOBY DOO" IN MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA RHYMES
"Miss Sue, Miss Sue
Miss Sue from Alabama
Hey you Scooby -doo
Now let me see you smoothing
Now let me see you smoothing" -from Yo Mama!: New Raps, Toasts, Dozens, Jokes, and
Children's Rhymes from Urban Black America, edited by Onwuchekwa Jemie, (Temple
University Press, 2003, page 99) "Collected primarily in
metropolitan New York and Philadelphia during the classic era of black street
poetry (i.e., during the late 1960s and early 1970s)
**** THE WORDS "SCOOBY DOO" IN "MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA RYHMES" The actual words "Scooby Doo" don't appear in "Miss Sue From Alabama" rhymes or in any other recreational rhymes until the late 1960s or the early 1970s.
I believe that the words "Scooby Doo" were popularized by if not a referent to the fictional dog cartoon character. Here's information about the "Scooby Doo" cartoon character from the American series Scooby Doo Where Are You" that first aired in 1969.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooby-Doo_(character) [retrieved September 27, 2025 "Scoobert "Scooby" Doo is a fictional character and protagonist of the eponymous animated television franchise created in 1969 by the American animation company Hanna-Barbera.[1] He is a male Great Dane and lifelong companion of amateur detective Shaggy Rogers, with whom he shares many personality traits. He features a mix of both canine and human behaviors (reminiscent of other talking animals in Hanna-Barbera's series), and is treated by his friends more or less as an equal. Scooby often speaks in a rhotacized way, substituting the first letters of many words with the letter 'r' a speech pattern that, while never fully explained, is understood and accepted without question by those around him. His catchphrase is "Scooby-Dooby-Doo!".
History
Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the original Scooby-Doo series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, for Hanna-Barbera as a part of CBS's 1969–1970 Saturday morning cartoon schedule. Originally titled Mysteries Five, the dog who later became Scooby was originally more of a sidekick character – a bongo-playing dog named "Too Much" whose breed varied between Great Dane and sheepdog between treatments.[2][3]
By the time the series was pitched to the network as Who's S-S-Scared? in early 1969, Too Much was solidified as a cowardly Great Dane. Both the dog and the series would be renamed Scooby-Doo by Fred Silverman, CBS's head of daytime programming, between its unsuccessful first pitch and the second pitch that earned the show a green light. Silverman stated that he came up with the name from the syllables "doo-be-doo-be-doo" in Frank Sinatra's hit song "Strangers in the Night".[4][5] Though a similar name was featured in the title of the single "Feelin' So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y.-D.O.O.)" released just a few months earlier in 1968 by The Archies, a fictional band from the CBS series The Archie Show that was also overseen by Silverman.[6][7] There was also a character in an unsold TV pilot Swingin' Together, broadcast in 1963 on CBS, named Skooby-doo.[8]…
WHAT "BETTY CROCKER" MEANS IN SOME CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLES OF "MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA" Some contemporary versions of "Miss Sue From Alabama" in the
USA include the lines "sittin in the rocker/eating Betty
Crocker"/watching the clock go boom tick tock etc".
“Eatin Betty Crocker" means "eating Betty Crocker
cookies or pastry", "Betty Crocker" is the invented name for a fictitious
cook who represents the General Mills company. That name and character was
first introduced in 1921. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Crocker "Betty Crocker" cookbooks contain easy to use recipes, including recipes for bake goods such as cookies,
pies, and cakes. Thus "eating Betty Crocker" means eating some baked
goods that were created by using a Betty Crocker recipe.
The word "rocker" is an abbreviation for "rocking chair" and the word "crocker" rhymes with the word "rocker".
Based on my admittedly informal collection efforts, it appears to me that "eatin Betty Crocker" versions of "Miss Sue From Alabama" are relatively recent (1990s?). Please share any examples of this rhyme that you remember with the phrase "Betty Crocker" that predate the 1990s. Thanks!
**** AN EXAMPLE OF "MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA" THAT INCLUDES
THE SCATTING PHRASE "A DOOBIE- DO-WAH
[no title given]
Miss Sue Miss Sue Miss Sue from Alabama
Someone is in your garden
Miss Sue Miss Sue Someone is in your garden Miss Sue from Alabama
Show me what you can do Miss Sue Miss Sue Show me what you can do Miss sue from Alabama
Is this the way you do Miss Sue Miss Sue Is this the way you do Miss Sue from Alabama
Hey Hey A doobie-do-wah Your mama's broke And your papa's broke
Turn to the east Turn to the west Turn to the very one you love the best
Milk in the pitcher The butter's in the bowl Can't catch a sweetheart To save your soul
I think this is the way we sang this game in Northern
Mississippi cira 1965.
-snip- GUEST,nanasallthat, Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097 ; 11 Dec 07 -snip- Italics are used to highlight this line. -snip- This is the earliest example of "Miss Sue From Alabama" with words that I've come across offline or online.
This contributor didn't include any racial demographic
information. However, the textual structure and vernacular language of this
example is clearly of African American origin. Notice that the contributor referred to rhyme as a "game". Also, notice the "show me your motion: and "I can do your motion" lines. These lines strongly suggest that this version of "Miss Sue From Alabama" was performed as a "show me your motion" circle game with one person in the center.
** This example is composed of a number of lines from stand alone rhymes including a version of "Little Sally Walker" that is found in https://www.loc.gov/folklife/LP/AfroAmFolkMusicMissL67_opt.pdf [B7 Sung with hand clapping by Nettie Mae and Aleneda Turner, near Senatobia, Mississippi, July 9,1971. Recorded by Cheryl Evans.]
"Little Sally Walker sitting in a saucer.
Rise, Sally, rise. Wipe )'our weeping eyes. Put your hand on your hip And let your backbone slip.
Oh, shake it to the east. Oh shake it to the west.
Oh, shake it to the one that you love the best
Your mama says so. Your papa says so.
That's the way you do it, and you'll never catch a beau.
The milk in the pitcher, the butter ill the bowl.
You can't catch a sweetheart to save your soul. "
**** WHAT THE WORDS "TAKE A SMOOTH SHOT" MEANS IN A FEW VERSIONS OF "MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA" RHYMES
I believe that "take a smooth shot" is a folk processed form of the phrase "take a flu shot".
**** EXAMPLES OF "MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA THAT INCLUDE A
"SCOOBY DOO" PHRASE/NAME
[The words or the name "Scooby doo" is given in italics to highlight that portion of the rhyme]
MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA
(Version #1) Miss Sue Miss Sue from Alabama Hey you, scooby do your Mama's got the measles Your papa's got the flu magic measles magic flu Take an a b c d e f g Take an h i j k l m n o p Take a smooth shot Take a smooth shot and now freeze. -Eleanor Fulton, Pat Smith: Let's Slice The Ice,
(Magnamusic-Baton, 1978; St. Louis, Mo.; p. 16) -snip- Rhymes in this compilation are from African American children in St. Louis, Missouri.
**** MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA (Version #2)
Miss Sue Scooby Doo Miss Sue from Alabama Sittin at the table peeling mashed potatoes. Waitin for the clock to go boom tick tock. boom ticky wally wally. Boom tick tock Boom ticky wally wally.
Ah 1 more time. Boom tick tock Boom ticky wally wally Boom tick tock. Boom ticky wally wally. Ah no more times. -Alafia Children's Ensemble, Pittsburgh, PA; 1999 &
2001; Collected by Azizi Powell, 1999 & 2001 [Groups on both dates recited
the same rhyme.] -snip- "Alafia Children's Ensemble" was the name of the
children's cultural group that I founded in 1990. The group in Braddock,
Pennsylvania was divided into components- one for girls and boys ages 5-12
years old in whichthe group learned,
shared, and performed original and adapted African American game songs, cheers,
and rhymes and one for girls and boys ages 10-14 years old in which children
were introduced to playing the djembe drum. The group in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania consisted of girls ages 8-9 years old who learned, shared, and
performed original and adapted African American game songs, cheers, and rhymes .
A lot of the children's rhymes that I directly collected from 1990-2004 came
from these groups.
**** MISS SUE FROM PARRAMATTA (Example #3) Miss Sue Miss Sue Miss Sue from Parramata
Hey you Scooby-Doo Your mother's got the measles Your fathers got the flu Magic measles magic flu Take a abcdefg Take a hijklmnop Take a smooth shot Take a smooth shot And freeze. -buttercup7956, Mar
19, 2011 -snip- Here's information about Parramatta from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parramatta "Parramatta … is a major commercial city[7][8] in Greater
Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is
located approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) west of the Sydney central business
district on the banks of the Parramatta River.[2] Parramatta is the
administrative seat of the local government area of the City of Parramatta and
is often regarded as the main commercial centre and the central business
district for the broader Greater Western Sydney region.”…
**** MISS SUE FROM PARRAMATTA (Example #4) mine is
miss sue miss sue miss sue from parramata hey you Scooby-Doo your mother's got the measles your fathers got the flu magic measles magic flu take a abcdefg take a hijklmnop take a smooth shot take a smooth shot and freeze. (×4) -Gymnast Queen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-svfUMX3BMMiss Sue Playground Song [discussion thread comment; discussion thread no longer available*],2016 -snip- *As per the policy of YouTube announced in Feb 2019, YouTube disabled almost all of the discussion threads for its videos featuring children *, including the one for the video whose link is given above. The admirably reason for this policy was to prevent "predatory comments". YouTube discussion threads were a treasure trove for contemporary examples of children's recreational rhymes. Unfortunately, almost all of the discussion threads for YouTube children's rhymes were deleted because of that policy. That action resulted in the lost of folkloric material and also means that the opportunities for people to share examples of and information about children's rhymes, game songs, and cheers online are greatly reduced.
Every online version of "Miss Sue From Parramatta" that I've come across doesn't include the "scooby doo" phrase/name, For instance, here's a link to another example of "Miss Sue From
Parramata" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBmqEV2U6uA&ab_channel=ThomasTang. The brief summary statement indicates that the girl reciting
this rhyme learned it in school. This version doesn't include the "Scooby
Doo" phrase/name, but otherwise is the same as the other "Miss Sue From Parramatta" examples given in this post.
**** ADDENDUM: SCATTING From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scat_singing 'In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with
wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all.[2][3] In scat
singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an
instrument rather than a speaking medium. This is different from vocalese,
which uses recognizable lyrics that are sung to pre-existing instrumental
solos.
Characteristics
Structure and syllable choice
Though scat singing is improvised, the melodic lines are
often variations on scale and arpeggio fragments, stock patterns and riffs, as
is the case with instrumental improvisers. As well, scatting usually
incorporates musical structure. All of Ella Fitzgerald's scat performances of
"How High the Moon", for instance, use the same tempo, begin with a
chorus of a straight reading of the lyric, move to a "specialty
chorus" introducing the scat chorus, and then the scat itself.[4] Will
Friedwald has compared Ella Fitzgerald to Chuck Jones directing his Roadrunner
cartoon—each uses predetermined formulas in innovative ways.[4]
The deliberate choice of scat syllables is also a key
element in vocal jazz improvisation. Syllable choice influences the pitch
articulation, coloration, and resonance of the performance.[5] Syllable choice
also differentiated jazz singers' personal styles: Betty Carter was inclined to
use sounds like "louie-ooie-la-la-la" (soft-tongued sounds or
liquids) while Sarah Vaughan would prefer "shoo-doo-shoo-bee-ooo-bee"
(fricatives, plosives, and open vowels).[6] The choice of scat syllables can
also be used to reflect the sounds of different instruments. The comparison of
the scatting styles of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan reveals that
Fitzgerald's improvisation mimics[a] the sounds of swing-era big bands with
which she performed, while Vaughan's mimics[b] that of her accompanying bop-era
small combos.[10]"...
**** This concludes Part II of this pancocojams post.
